


The Hand Life Deals

by Ace_From_Outer_Space, Nothing_You_Can_Prove



Series: The Stars Aligned [14]
Category: The Walking Dead (Telltale Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Everyone Lives/Nobody Dies, Alternate Universe - School, Canon Disabled Character, Cute, F/F, Fluff, Romance, Teasing, violetine
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-15
Updated: 2019-04-15
Packaged: 2020-01-13 09:53:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,460
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18466564
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ace_From_Outer_Space/pseuds/Ace_From_Outer_Space, https://archiveofourown.org/users/Nothing_You_Can_Prove/pseuds/Nothing_You_Can_Prove
Summary: When life deals you a rough hand, you can do one of two things: complain or make your own rules. Violet and Clementine always do the latter.





	The Hand Life Deals

**Author's Note:**

> I’m not even sure what this is, but have it anyway XD

“Pick a card, Vi. Any card.”

Louis held the deck of worn cards out, wiggling his eyebrows just because he could. Rolling her eyes at his obnoxious display, she took the top card. Seven. She laid it out on the school desk they were all crowded around. Clementine followed her lead, earning a groan from Louis.

“I thought you were supposed to be the master, Lou. Maybe you’re actually a lou-ser.”

“Wow, harsh. I’m just going easy on the card game casuals, Vi _._ ” He stuck his tongue out, then turned to Clementine. “A question for the pretty girl.”

Violet scoffed loudly, pulling her knees up to her chest and resting her chin on them with a huff. She never could sit properly. Louis was trying to get under her skin… and sadly, it was working. He knew she liked Clem.

Clementine tilted her head, tapping her cheek. A mischievous smirk tugged at her lips. “Do you and Marlon get haircuts together?”

“Are you implying that my _fabulous_ head of hair,” he flipped his hand up sending pieces of hair flying, “is in any way comparable to Marlon’s ratty locks? How _dare_ you!”

“Hey!” Marlon called over from his seat.

“Sorry, dude, you know it’s true.”

Violet laughed, snorting. “Best question ever.”

“I actually _have_ style, so no. We don’t.” Louis passed a sly glance at Marlon, speaking loud enough for him to hear. “But maybe we should. For his sake. I mean, who wants to look like they’re wearing a dead skunk?”

“Oh please, you wouldn’t know style if it hit you in the face.”

Louis narrowed his eyes, initiating a wild west style cinematic duel. “We’ll see what the people think,” he whipped his phone out like he was unholstering a gun, typing at a million miles an hour, “ _when I make a poll_.”

" _You’re on._ ”

They shared a strange and overly complicated handshake before returning to their chairs.

“Welcome back from Brotown.”

Louis bowed, then sat down. “Thank you for the warm welcome, Mayor Violet of Judgmentville.”

Violet rolled her eyes and let one leg dangle under the table as he shuffled the deck. They each took another card. Ace. Smirking, she threw the card down.

“Me again? Really?” Louis sighed melodramatically when he saw Clem’s card. “Alright, ask away.”

Violet tapped her chin, as if deep in thought, then smiled. “Lou, why’re you such a dumbass?”

Putting a hand to his chest, he gasped. “I am _offended_. I’m not just any dumbass.” He grinned, showing as many teeth as possible. “I’m the _king_ of dumbasses.”

“No arguments here.”

He scoffed, gently kicking her under the table. “Come on, what’s the real question?”

Frowning, she kicked his shin back harder. “That _was_ the real question. So, answer it.”

“Firstly, ow. Secondly, to answer such a question, I have to ask another.” He stroked an imaginary beard, nodding sagely. “Who is the _real_ dumbass here?”

“You.”

“Nope.” He waggled his finger then, like a ninja, leaned over and booped her nose. “The real dumbass is the person who wastes opportunities.”

He was really trying to push her today.

Clementine frowned at the cryptic answer. “Okay, I’m confused.”

“Me too, Clementine. Me too.” He sighed, holding his hands up. “I am a dumbass because it makes people laugh. Simple.” With flair, he drew another card.

Violet sighed, taking another. Hopefully it wouldn’t be a question for her. Finally, Clementine drew her card and winced. She put the card on the desk. A two.

“Think it might be me.”

“Read ‘em and weep.” Louis slammed his card down. Queen.

Shrugging, Violet showed hers. Five.

“Hmm, what question to ask our dear Clementine?” His expression shifted from playful to curious to uncertain. “How did…? No. Something else.”

Clem tilted her head when he backtracked. “How did what?”

“Nah, it’s…” he paused, shaking his head.

“Just ask.”

Somewhat reluctant, he picked at his nails. “How’d you lose it? You know, your leg.”

“Louis!” Violet hissed, giving his calf a firm, chastising kick.

“Again, ow. She told me to ask.”

“I did. And it’s okay,” Clementine reassured her with a soft smile. “Car accident. My leg got trapped. They couldn’t save it. Thank god nobody else got hurt. Or worse.”

Louis nodded. “Yeah. I’m glad you survived that.”

“Me too. It would’ve sucked not getting to meet you. Both of you.” Her prosthetic leg stuck out from underneath the table, orange with various scribbles on it. “AJ had fun decorating it. You guys can write on it too some time, if you want.”

It hurt Violet’s heart to think that someone like Clem had suffered so much. Bad things happened to the nicest people. It just wasn’t fair.

“We will.”

Nodding at her answer, Clementine reached for another card, breaking the tense atmosphere. Louis and Violet chose one each - her card lost, his won.

The way he smiled worried her.

“So, Vi. Do you have a cruuuush on anyone?”

Gritting her teeth, Violet slammed her fist down on the desk. “I swear to god, Louis…”

Turning to her, curiosity glinting in her eyes, Clementine asked, “Do you?”

“I…” Violet hunched her shoulders. She couldn’t lie. “Yeah.”

“Who?”

“That… it’s not your turn to ask me questions, Clem.”

The school bell rang, saving Violet from further embarrassment. For now, at least. They packed up their belongings, ready to move to their next class. Science. The three of them entered the lab, spotting Mitch and Aasim huddled near a bunsen burner.

“And what, pray tell, are you guys planning on exploding today?” Louis asked, interrupting their hushed mutterings.

“Who knows. Every class is a chance to blow something up,” Mitch replied eagerly.

“Or just set it on fire,” Aasim added matter-of-factly.

Mitch nodded approvingly, holding up his hand. Aasim high fived him, not even looking.

Louis shook his head, hand on hip. “Ms. Marten is a braver person than me to let you two team up.”

Getting settled, Violet idly tapped her fingers against a desk. “She’d have more problems saying they couldn’t.”

“I wouldn’t wanna be the person to say no,” Clementine chuckled as she joined Vi.

“A valid point,” he conceded.

Science class passed without too much incident - Aasim’s eyebrows were left singed but no hardcore pyrotechnics. As much of a win as anyone could hope for. Eventually, the end of day bell rang out.

Freedom.

They all piled out of the school, eager to escape. Riding the bus a short way, Violet and Clementine stepped off. Louis usually walked with them and hung out, but not today. As they left, he offered Vi a huge smirk. She flipped him off, watching him cackle through the window.

“You two are like siblings,” Clem said as they watched the bus pull away.

“Yeah, annoying brother suits him.”

“He’d do anything for you, though.”

“And I would him.” Violet smiled to herself. "Don't tell him I said that, though."

"I won't."

They approached Clementine’s house, heading inside. Violet had been here a few times now. It was so different from her trailer - not claustrophobic. Hell, it actually felt like a home. That had a lot to do with the people in that home, though. Lee, Carley, AJ and Clem were a closer family than she’d ever experienced.

Grabbing a few snacks, they moved out into the backyard.

“Race you!”

Clementine left her in the dirt, shooting up a ladder to her childhood treehouse. Violet’s eyes widened, watching the bright orange prosthetic drop down onto the grass. She crouched down, picking it up.

“Ah, crap.” Clem’s head poked out of the treehouse entrance. “I would ask you to give me a hand, but I need a leg.”

“On it.” Violet scrambled up the wooden ladder, careful not to damage the leg. Once at the top, she awkwardly presented it. “Uh, here.”

“Just put it over there.” She waved her arm over to the side, then opened a bag of chips. “I feel like I can never take it off in public. It freaks everyone out. It’s comfortable enough I guess, but sometimes I just want a break.” She paused, waiting expectantly. "That okay with you?"

“Yeah. That’s totally a-okay by me.”

"Thanks." Clem grinned at her gratefully. "I appreciate it."

Violet carefully laid the prosthetic down. It made her sad and angry to know Clem felt like she had to hide it all the time. She jumped when she was poked in between her eyebrows.

“You’ll get stuck like that,” Clementine chuckled, then winked and offered her the bag. “At least you’d still be cute.”

Green eyes widened, pale cheeks turning pink. “I, uh… thanks...”

Eager to distract herself, Violet grabbed a handful of chips and examined the childhood scribbles pinned to the treehouse walls. There were all signed with a wobbly ‘Clem’ and an orange stamp.

“These are cute.”

“Unfortunately, that was when my art skills peaked.” Clementine shrugged, taking a sip from an orange soda and handing one to Vi.

“Somehow I doubt that.”

“Please don’t make me subject you to the horror.”

“Maybe I want to be,” Violet muttered into her can.

“Okay. Don't say I didn’t warn you.” Clementine shuffled over to a crate, grabbing some paper and pencils. “Don’t move.”

Violet jolted with surprise, eyebrows shooting up to her hairline. “You want to draw _me_?”

“What else am I gonna draw?”

“I dunno.” She rubbed the back of her neck. Self-conscious. “You could do anything.”

“I could. But I want to draw _you_. If that’s okay.”

Violet couldn’t say no to those puppy dog eyes. “Fiiiiine.”

After getting comfortable, she let Clementine draw her. It felt strange. Violet wasn’t used to this sort of attention. Especially from a girl she had a huge crush on. Every so often, Clem would pause for a long time, just staring. Then, she would shake her head and quickly resume drawing.

“Okay, done.”

Clementine handed her the paper face down, eager to hear her reaction. Taking the drawing, Violet flipped it over. It was not what she had been expecting. In the best possible way. They both stood together on a boat, dressed in pirate gear. Violet smiled at the sketchy details - her eye patch and fancy pirate hat, Clementine’s peg leg and cutlass. The sword was locked in combat, Clem protecting her from a pirate that looked suspiciously like Marlon. She spotted other people in the background, distant representations of their friends and family. Their crew.

“Captain Vi of the S.S. Texas Two.”

“Clem, this is…”

“I know. It kinda sucks-”

Violet shook her head firmly. “No, it’s _amazing_. Can I… can I keep it?”

Surprised, Clementine beamed at her. “Yes. Of course you can.”

“Thank you!”

In her excitement, Violet pulled Clementine into a hug. Bypassing thought. When she realized what she was doing, she froze. Before she could even think about pulling away, Clem hugged her back.

“You’re welcome.”

The hug lasted longer than expected. No complaints. Eventually, Clementine pulled back. She stayed close, though. There was an unspoken question in her eyes. Hesitance.

“I know we’re not playing the card game anymore but… you know you can tell me who you like, right? If you want to. I promise I won’t tell anyone.”

Violet’s heart raced. If she told Clem the truth, it might ruin everything. Two words floated to the forefront of her mind. Missed opportunity.

“You... said I could write on your leg, yeah?”

Confused, Clementine nodded. “Yeah, I did.”

“Give me a pen.”

Not looking at her, Violet held out her hand expectantly. Shrugging, Clementine gave her a purple marker. Taking a deep breath, feeling her heart race, she wrote a secret. Her handwriting wasn’t neat at the best of times. Nerves did not help.

**_I like_ ** **_you_** ** _._ **

Swallowing hard, she carefully handed the leg over. Clementine held it like a corn on the cob - under different circumstances, Violet would find that funny - staring at three shakily written words.

Eventually, Clem put the prosthetic down. Not saying a word, she grabbed an orange pen from the pile and pulled the cap off with her teeth. The nib felt cold on Violet’s leg as she wrote a reply. It was impossible to tell what Clementine was writing. The ink must be running out since she went over each line twice.

Violet’s jaw dropped when she finally saw the reply. She blinked several times, wondering if she’d misread it. No matter how many times she re-read it, it still said the same.

**_I like you too._ **

“You… I…” she stuttered, brain working overtime.

Laughing at her reaction, Clementine pulled her closer. Their lips met for a few seconds, a hesitant yet definite kiss.

“Holy shit…”

“That’s romantic.”

“I mean… Holy. _Shit_.”

She put a hand over Clem’s, staring into those deep brown eyes she adored. Without even thinking, she kissed her back. Just to make sure this was really real.

“What’re you guys doing?” Violet’s head snapped to the entrance. A young boy pulled himself up. AJ, Clem’s little brother. “That’s what mom and dad do.”

She sighed in defeat, Clementine patting her thighs. Smiling at the invitation, AJ crawled into her lap. Violet kept her distance, arms crossed and shoulders hunched.

He looked over at her. “I’m not gonna bite. Promise.”

“What?”

“I bit someone at school.” He frowned. “They were being mean to my friend, so I bit them. Everyone stays away now. You’re not scared of me too, are you?”

“No, I’m not.”

“Then, why are you all the way over there?”

“Vi’s just… nervous, AJ.”

“Like fear?”

“Kind of.” Clementine looked at her, eyes pleading her to sit with them.

Giving in, Violet shuffled closer. AJ grabbed hold of her leg, then smiled reassuringly. “We tell fear to flip off.”

“Flip off, fear,” she repeated, actually feeling a little better.

“Yeah, like that. Flip off, fear!” he shouted, voice echoing across the neighborhood. Then, he looked up at Clementine, suddenly serious. “What you were doing, it seems gross.”

“I used to think so, too.”

“But you don’t now?”

She shook her head. “When you like someone, it just feels… right.”

Those few words made Violet’s heart melt.

AJ turned to her, curiosity flickering in his eyes. “You feel the same?”

Violet nodded, hesitantly tangling her fingers with Clem’s. “Yeah, I do.”

He was quiet for a while, deep in thought. “I still don’t get it. But… you look happy. That’s all that matters.”

Clementine smiled warmly, gently ruffling his hair. “That’s right, Goofball.”

“Are you gonna tell mom and dad?”

“Maybe. Eventually.”

“So, it’s a secret.” He nodded, extending his pinkie fingers to both of them. “Promise I won’t tell.”

Clementine and Violet exchanged glances, then smiled and hooked a finger each around his.

Their secret.

**Author's Note:**

> The continuing adventures of AJ’s badly timed appearances. Wish I’d had a bit more time to fill this idea out more, but hey better than nothing (story of my life XD)


End file.
